Of A Paradox
by RaeOfSunshine9
Summary: A JILY STORY CANON TO THE BOOKS A paradox is a contradiction. It's something that is wrong, imperfect, yet completely, wholly right. The story of James and Lily Potter is of a paradox. This is that story. This fanfiction follows Lily and James as they grow up into the people we know from JKR's books. I hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! Idk if there's anyone in our vast universe that will read any of this, but I'm going to pretend there's a ton of you out there!**

_**Here's my formal disclaimer:**_

_**The use of most characters and certain events belong to JK Rowling. I am not the creator or author of Harry Potter, but she is, and therefore the credit should belong to her. Additionally, full or partial direct quotations from the Harry Potter series might be used in this story. You will likely recognize them, and they belong to JK Rowling. However, the way I utilize JK Rowling's work is my own, and this story belongs to me.**_

****A/N: This fanfiction is about James and Lily, and the way I imagine their story went. IT IS CANON TO THE BOOKS/POTTERMORE. (Please correct me if something is not accurate!) I hope you enjoy the first chapter. I'm ahead on a few chapters and hope to post weekly.**

**In addition, here are a list of things that you should know if you are reading my story that I wish I knew about before reading other fanfictions:**

**Remus will NOT date Lily, nor will Sirius, or Peter**

**Snape and Lily will NOT end up together**

**James will not be a Prefect**

**James's Quidditch position will be CHASER**

**Lily and Remus will be Prefects**

**Snape and Lily will be friends, until their falling out in 5th year**

**James will be Head Boy, and Lily will be Head Girl**

**Lily and James won't date till 7th year (but they'll still have interactions! [lots!])**

**People will die**

**This story will run from roughly 1969, when Lily is about 9 years old, to 1981, when James and Lily both die (if my calculations are correct). The story will move rather quickly (or at my desired pace) until we get to about 5th year. (This means only the first few chapters will be about pre-Hogwarts or the early years at Hogwarts).**

**If you have any questions, ask! **

**REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!**

**Prologue**

A paradox is a contradiction. It's something that is wrong, imperfect, yet completely, wholly right. A paradox is the epitome of surprise. It is accepted without question, yet not understood. A paradox is split in half: one arrow goes left, the other goes right, but they fit together. A paradox is fate, seemingly impossible to be fulfilled until it's full. A paradox is confusing. It is a hot mess, a jumble of emotions, a passion that cannot be matched. A paradox crashes, burns, bleeds, but heals entirely. It is unpredictable in every part. A paradox is written in the stars, an ultimate destiny before it is even known. A paradox is simply inevitable.

The story of James and Lily Potter is of a paradox.

**Chapter 1**

_Late August, 1969:_

It was near evening. The orange sun sunk low above the horizon, still bright, although not as hot as midday. Two girls were swinging back and forth in a nearly deserted playground, the redhead swaying higher than the blonde.

"Lily, don't do it!" shrieked the elder girl to her younger sister, who swung high above her head.

But the girl had let go of the swing at the very height of its arc and flown into the air, quite literally flown, launched herself skywards with a great shout of laughter, and instead of crumpling on the playground asphalt, she soared, like a trapeze artist through the air, staying up far too long, landing far too lightly.

"Mummy told you not to!"

Petunia, the blonde, stopped her swing by dragging the heels of her sandals on the ground, making a crunching, grinding sound, then leapt up, hands on hips.

"Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!"

"But I'm fine," said Lily, the redhead, still giggling. "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."

Petunia glanced around. The playground was deserted apart from themselves, or so it would appear. Lily picked up a fallen flower from a nearby bush. Petunia advanced, evidently torn between curiosity and disapproval. Lily waited until Petunia was near enough to have a clear view, then held out her palm. The flower sat there, opening and closing its petals, like some bizarre, many-lipped oyster.

"Stop it!" shrieked Petunia.

"It's not hurting you," said Lily, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it back onto the ground.

"It's not right," said Petunia, but her eyes had followed the flower's flight to the ground and lingered upon it. "How do you do it?" she added, and there was definite longing in her voice. Her eyes rose up to fix on Lily, shining with a mixture of awe and jealousy.

Suddenly, there was the sound of rustling. A boy wearing a ridiculously large coat jumped out from behind the bushes.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" he said. Petunia shrieked and ran backwards towards the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. The boy seemed to regret his appearance. A dull flush of colour mounted his sallow cheeks as he looked at Lily.

"What's obvious?" asked Lily.

The young boy, who looked to be about her age, had an air of nervous excitement. With a glance at the distant Petunia, who now hovered beside the swings, he lowered his voice and said, "I know what you are."

"What do you mean?"

"You're ... you're a witch," he whispered.

She looked affronted.

"_That's_ not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"

She turned, nose in the air, and marched off towards her sister.

"No!" cried to boy. He was highly coloured now. He flapped after the girls, looking ludicrously bat-like.

The sisters considered him, united in disapproval, wondering why he wore an overly large coat in the middle of the summer. Both held onto one of the swing poles as though it was the safe place in tag.

"You are," said the boy to Lily. "You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."

Petunia's laugh was like cold water.

"Wizard!" she shrieked, her courage returning now that she had recovered from the shock of his unexpected appearance. "I know who you are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river," she told Lily, and it was evident from her tone that she considered the address a poor recommendation. "Why have you been spying on us?"

"Haven't been spying," said the boy, Snape, hot and uncomfortable and dirty-haired in the bright sunlight. "Wouldn't spy on you, anyway," he added spitefully, "you're a Muggle."

Though Petunia evidently did not understand the foreign word, she could hardly mistake the tone.

"Lily, come on, we're leaving!" she said shrilly. Lily obeyed her sister at once, glaring at Snape as she left. The boy stood watching them as they marched through the playground gate; it was clear that he had been planning this moment for a while, and that it had all gone wrong. Bitter

disappointment was written all over his face.

"I'm telling Mummy," Petunia said immediately as they exited the gate. As they turned the corner onto the street that lead home, she momentarily glanced back. Snape disappeared, probably back into the bush that he appeared from. Seeing her sister look back, Lily mirrored her action, her eyes seeing nothing but the completely abandoned playground in the distance.

"What do you mean?" she asked her elder sister.

"I'm telling Mummy and Daddy about that Snape boy! He has no business spying on us!"

"Tuney… don't tattle."

"He called you a witch! Clearly, he's a creep!"

"Tuney!" Lily looked at her, shocked. "How could you say that?!"

"Why are you defending him?!"

"I'm not! I just don't think it's fair to judge someone's whole personality on one conversation. What he said was mean, it was, but… he's just a bit awkward. He might not have many friends." They had reached the front of their home. A chestnut tree sloped across the lawn and met with the top of the roof. When Lily was seven she climbed to the top of the tree and then made it onto the roof. Unfortunately, there was a loose shackle on the roof and she fell off, but miraculously landed unhurt on the grass. This was not the first odd incident Lily Evans experienced, and it was not the last. She did not tell her parents about her fall from the roof.

"Might not have any friends?" Petunia asked shrilly. "What, are you going to start hanging over at his house? Spinner's End is a bad part of town, Lily. A bunch of factory workers live there."

"All of Cokeworth is an industrial town, Tuney. And it's mean to judge."

"_We_ don't live in Spinner's End though," Petunia's snotty voice dropped into a hushed whisper as they entered through the front door. The family cat, Simba, awoke from his nap in the sun and looked up at them.

"And what difference does that make?" Lily hardly knew why she was arguing with Petunia. She had been hurt when he called her a witch, and she would avoid talking to him if she could. But at the same time, there was something that drew her to the odd boy.

Petunia opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment their mother opened the door of the kitchen and smiled brightly. "How was the park, girls? We'll have dinner in about thirty minutes." The sisters glanced at each other. Although Petunia had originally wanted to tell their mother about Snape, it seemed like an unspoken agreement to not say anything.

"It was fun, Mummy," Lily said. "It was a nice day out." Petunia nodded in agreement, but said nothing. Their father appeared in the background, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist. Lily picked up the cat and stroked its golden fur.

"Your grandmother wants to come visit," he said. "Your mum and I were thinking about leaving you two with her for a weekend while we go away for our anniversary." That year Benjamin and Azalea Evans were celebrating their thirteenth wedding anniversary. They had married rather young, when they were 20 and 21.

Petunia and LIly's faces broke into huge smiles; they hadn't seen their grandmother in awhile. They expressed their excitement and it was settled that their parents would talk to their gran and set some plans.

"C'mon, Tuney," Lily finally said, turning to her sister and grabbing her hand. "Let's go play upstairs until it's dinnertime." They started up the stairs.

"Wash your hands," their mother called after them.

The morning dawned bright, the sunshine peeking through the curtains and lighting up the room. It was a Tuesday. Lily was already downstairs, dressed, stretched out on the sofa with a blanket covering her and the cat Simba as she read one of her favorite novels. Petunia followed soon after, still in her pajamas.

Their mother was in the kitchen, making muffins before heading off to work, while their father read his newspaper in his armchair and drank his coffee.

"What do you girls have planned for today?" Azalea called from the kitchen. "You could go play in the park again."

"Alone?!" asked Lily excitedly, sitting up from her spot on the couch. She and Petunia had been asking for ages to be allowed to go to the park without their parents at home. Their mother worked in a nearby bakery from about 8 o'clock in the morning until a little after noon. Their father was a schoolteacher at the primary school Petunia and Lily attended, but during the summers he drove out of Cokeworth twice a week to teach a summer session of English literature at a university, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"I don't see why not," said her father, glancing at her mother. It was obvious that they had talked about it previously. "The bakery isn't far from the park, after all."

"I don't want to go," Petunia said sniffily. "All Lily does is jump off those swings. She'll get hurt." It was the first thing she had said that morning.

"Lily," Azalea scolded, coming into the living room. "I thought I told you not to do that anymore."

"I never get hurt," Lily protested, scowling at Petunia. "It's so much fun, it feels like flying."

"It's only a matter of time before you fall and break something," Azalea said with a note of finality in her tone.

"Az," Benjamin said, amused. "Lily is fine. She's a careful girl, she just likes the excitement of it all."

"Excitement," Petunia scoffed. "It's _abnormal_, what she does. She swings too high and lands too slowly. It's like she's- floating. It's weird stuff; maybe that boy was right. Maybe you are a- a- _a witch_. Or more like the _devil_," she spat.

Lily leapt up from the couch, dropping her book, the blanket falling to the ground. Simba meowed and ran under the sofa. That was the most hurtful thing Petunia had ever said to her. Ever. They rarely fought, but this…

"_Shut up_! You're just jealous!" Lily cried out. Her fingers began to shake in anger. How could Petunia say something like that? Azalea and Benjamin glanced at each other in shock. Their children never behaved like this.

"That's enough," Benjamin said with authority. All traces of his previous amusement was gone. "We don't act like that in this family. And what boy are you talking about?"

"_Family_," Petunia sneered. "You always take her side, don't you?" She turned quickly, ignoring her father's question, intent on going back upstairs. Lily tried to grab her arm to stop her, wanting her to apologize, but she knocked a glass vase that held an array of flowers in water in her haste. It fell, the glass shattering and the water splashing everywhere. A smell of something burning reached them from the kitchen.

Azalea sighed loudly, putting her face into her hands. After a moment she looked up, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"Ben, you should go or you'll be late," she said to her husband, and she rushed to the kitchen to remove the burnt muffins from the oven.

"So will you," he called. "Girls, you two listen to me," he said in a low voice. "Lily, I want you to put a towel over this water and soak it up, then get a broom and dustpan. Petunia, you're going to quickly go upstairs and get dressed. When come back down, you had better have a better attitude and an apology for your sister. I'm going to go drop your mother off at the bakery and then go to work. Petunia, you can help Lily clean up this glass and then you two can walk to your mother's bakery to get something to eat. Do you understand?"

Petunia and Lily both nodded, ashamed. Their parents quickly left for work. Lily retrieved a towel from the kitchen, and when she came back she soaked up the water. Still upset about what had happened, she wasn't careful enough, and she cut her finger on the glass. A drop of blood glistened on her finger. Lily growled, angry at herself, and went to retrieve a bandaid. After finding one in the bathroom, she realized her cut had disappeared. Furrowing her brow, she came to the conclusion that she simply had not seen the blood clearly. When she came back, only the towel remained on the floor. The vase was back on the table, with water and flowers inside it, as if it had never dropped. Petunia stood at the foot of the stairs, open mouthed.

"How- how did you-?" she spluttered. Lily stood there for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Let's just go, Mummy will be wondering where we are," she muttered. Lily picked up the towel and put it in the laundry, then put on her shoes.

The walk to the bakery was not long, but it seemed like it took forever. Petunia had not apologized to Lily, and she seemed like she was still in shock. Lily, although confused, did not seem altogether surprised. Funny things had happened before, and she learned to almost expect them.

When they reached the bakery, Petunia immediately went inside, but Lily stood at the door for a few moments. Her eyes found the park in the distance, and she could see a lone figure, swinging on a swing. Turning away, she spoke to her mother before asking permission to go to the park.

"Only if you go with Petunia," Azalea said, looking at her sternly. With two croissants each, Lily and Petunia exited the bakery.

"I'm not going with you," Petunia said immediately, her voice cold.

"Fine," Lily answered shortly. "I'll go myself."

"But Mum said-"

"I don't _care_," Lily said, turning to her. Her eyes stung with hurt from the memory of earlier that morning, but she held her tears back. "If you're just going to be mean then I don't even want you to come with me. Just go home." She turned away and walked down the street. Petunia's momentary shock from her words disappeared, and she turned the opposite way.

Lily made it to the playground, and stopped at the gate. From a distance, she suspected that the boy on the swings was Snape, but now that she was actually near him, his presence seemed to be more daunting. She slowly crept over to where he sat, now unmoving, on the swing, her untouched croissants still in her hands.

When she sat on the swing beside him, he looked up from the floor, shock written all over his face. He clearly did not notice her presence until then.

Feeling awkward, Lily wordlessly offered him a croissant. He shook his head once, and turned his eyes back to the floor, his sallow cheeks flooding with color. Lily slowly began to eat her croissants.

"What's your name?" Lily asked finally.

"Why would you care?" he muttered sullenly. It was obvious that he was still in a sour mood from the events of yesterday. Lily leapt up, her eyes flashing.

"Fine, I won't bother," she said, her voice full of ice. She was tired of being angry at people but _she _hadn't done anything wrong the other day. _He_ had been the one that called her a witch. "Don't mind me being friendly. It's not as if _I _go around, calling people names. I guess that's just something for losers to do when they're bored." Lily flounced away in the direction of the grass and flowered bushes that Snape had hidden in yesterday, her long wavy red hair bouncing on her shoulders.

"Wait," the boy called after her. He stood from the swing, following her. Lily turned momentarily, her eyebrows raised. Even at the ripe age of nine she had the talent of intimidation.

"Look, I-" he paused, and started again. "I'm sorry," he muttered, as if he had never uttered an apology in his entire life.

"Care to explain why you called me a witch?" Lily asked coldly. Her tone was hardly forgiving, but there was an unmistakable hint of curiosity hidden beneath her iciness.

"I told you, you're a witch. My mum is one, too. And I'm a wizard."

"You're lying." Severus looked agitated at her accusation.

"No, I'm not! You can do magic! Why do you think you can do the things you do?"

"Magic? What things?" Lily asked, rolling her eyes. Magic! She knew that she had dreamed of such things and read stories about them, but she never believed that they could actually be true. Her experience with the vase that morning, though, had caused her to wonder.

"Floating in the air, opening and closing flowers… and I'm sure there's more things you've noticed."

"You're just making that up," Lily challenged. "Why should I believe you?" Severus looked frustrated.

"Have you ever been really mad, scared, happy, or- something?"

"Or something?" Lily imitated, the corners of her mouth twitching into a faint huffed in annoyance, and this time it was he who turned away.

"Hey! I was just teasing!" Severus turned back to face her.

"I'm sure," he said sarcastically, but his mouth had begun to form a trace of a smile. "Where's your sister?" he asked after a moment.

"At home," she answered finally, her mouth turned into a small frown. "We had a- fight. She thinks it strange that I can do… things." Her acknowledgement of magic seemed to relieve him and renew his confidence.

"Well siblings fight all the time, don't they? You'll resolve it."

"No!" Lily said, shocked. "We hardly ever fight. Do you fight with your siblings all the time?"

"I wouldn't know," he muttered. "Don't have any."

"Oh." They stood there, not knowing what to say next.

"Where do you live?" Lily asked.

"Over there, near the river. Spinner's End." He pointed in a vague direction. She nodded in understanding.

"I'm over there." She pointed in the opposite direction. "My mum works at that bakery on the corner."

"What about your father?" Snape had begun to walk towards the swings again. Lily followed him.

"He teaches at our primary school. In the summer he drives to a university twice a week to teach English literature. What about your parents?" Severus's eyes clouded over, and they looked like charcoal. He shook his head once, his body stiffening and his face twisting into a sour expression. Lily looked at him, but his eyes found the floor and remained set on the dirt ground.

"What school do you go to?" Lily asked, attempting to change the subject. Severus looked up, the thought of his family disappearing.

"I don't," he said. "I've never been to school. I'm a wizard, and when I turn eleven I'll go to Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" Lily decided to humor him, even if all that he was saying was false. Besides, she was very intrigued. What if he _was _telling the truth?

"It's a magic school- for witches and wizards. I'll get a letter, and so will you."

"Me?" Lily said in disbelief. "You're not telling the truth. You're making it up."

"You'll see. The July after you turn eleven."

"How old are you?"

"Nine. Two more years and I can escape from-" His cheeks reddened. Lily pretended not to notice.

"I'm nine, too." A silence fell among the pair, but it was not awkward. Lily spoke again. "How do

you do magic? Can everyone do it?"

"Only some people can do magic. Most magical families are full of witches and wizards, but occasionally they will marry a Muggle-"

"A what?"

"A Muggle. Somebody who can't do magic. Like your sister."

"How come-"

"I don't know," he interrupted, scowling. "She just can't. In families of Muggles sometimes somebody will be able to do magic. Like you."

"Do you learn how to do magic at- at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, but you can already do some…"

Lily and Severus had sat there, swinging gently, their feet scraping the ground. Lily asked questions and Severus patiently answered them. Eventually a man wearing a wristwatch had passed the park, and Lily asked him for the time before returning home.

All she wanted to do was speak to Petunia. She wanted to tell her about everything Severus had said about magic, but she knew Petunia would just scoff at her. It hurt her to think that she couldn't talk to the one person she usually shared everything with.

Lily returned home just before her mother was due to come back. Petunia was in the living room when she arrived, and wanted to know where she was.

"At the park, talking to Severus," Lily told her when she asked.

"Severus? That boy from yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Did he call you a witch again?"

"It's not as if you care. You think the same thing, don't you?"

"I'm sorry," Petunia said, and she truly looked it. "That was mean, I didn't mean to say it like that… I'm sorry I didn't go to the park with you… I was just scared."

"It's alright," Lily said finally. She wasn't quite ready to forgive her sister as she was exactly the type to hold a grudge, but she didn't like to fight with her sister. "But don't say it again."

"I won't," promised Petunia. "But what about the vase?" Lily looked over at the table where the vase full of flowers still sat.

"I don't know," Lily lied. "Maybe it just didn't break fully."

"It did break, though! It completely shattered." Lily sighed.

"I know, I just… let's ask Mum and Dad."

"Ask us what?" Azalea appeared in the doorway, the keys to the house in her hands.

"The vase that broke is no longer broken," Petunia immediately informed her. Their mother had no explanation. She appeared to be in complete shock. When their father came home, she asked him, but he had no explanation either. Lily didn't dare tell them about her cut, or her conversation with Severus. She didn't know how they would react, and she was thankful that Petunia didn't mention him, either.

Until dinner. During the meal, Benjamin asked his daughters about the boy they had mentioned earlier. Petunia immediately opened her mouth, but Lily, not knowing what she would say, kicked her underneath the table.

"His name his Severus Snape," she told her father. "He seems a bit lonely and awkward, but we probably just don't know him that well." Benjamin nodded his understanding of her statement.

"I think I ran into his mother at the grocery store one time. They don't really live all that far away from us. She seemed rather quiet, but we're just not really associated with them," Azalea said.

"What was this about Severus calling you a witch, Lily?" Again, Petunia opened her mouth to respond, but Lily shot her a glare.

"It was just a story he heard about witches and wizards," Lily lied. "He saw me jumping off the swings and sort of- floating about in the air, so he thought I was magic or something. He apologized, though. We talked a bit and he seems rather nice."

"What do you mean by floating in the air?" Azalea asked curiously.

"I don't know, I just jump off the swings, really. Not from too high," she added quickly. "What Tuney thinks is me 'floating' is probably just the wind catching me. I think it has something to do with Physics," she said. Benjamin and Azalea exchanged glances, amused. Their daughter was only nine, yet she seemed to already know about Physics.

When they were dressing for bed, Petunia questioned Lily about her answers to their parents questions.

"You lied," she accused.

"How do you know?" Lily shot back. "You weren't there today." She picked up Simba and placed him on her bed as she climbed beneath the covers.

"Well-" Petunia spluttered, her eyes following the cat. She had always been secretly jealous of the way Simba favored Lily over her. "Well, the wind doesn't just catch you in the air, it's more than that, you know it."

"I don't know how I do it. It doesn't matter that much, does it?"

"I guess not," Petunia murmured as she climbed into bed. It was silent for a few moments. Lily turned off the light and then she, too, got into her bed. The sisters had always shared a room, ever since they were little. There was a spare bedroom, but they preferred to share.

"Goodnight, Lily," Petunia said softly.

"Goodnight, Tuney," Lily said back, and they drifted off to sleep.

The next weekend, Mr. Evans's mother came to visit. Benjamin and Azalea travelled to the coast to spend their anniversary on vacation, and their daughters stayed at home with their grandmother. Petunia and Lily had known their grandmother since birth. As both Benjamin and Azalea were only children, she was the closest living relative to the girls. During the week, Lily met Severus at the park once more. Her parents told her that she had to bring Petunia with her or introduce Severus to them if she wanted to go again by herself. She wanted Petunia to come with her, but she refused, preferring to stay at the house or help their mother at the bakery. Lily didn't dare to ask Severus to come meet her parents.

On the Saturday of the weekend with their grandmother, Petunia offered to make dinner. It was a simple meal, as she was only eleven, but it gave Lily and her grandma some time alone. They sat in the small backyard of their home in lawn chairs, drinking iced lemonade. School would begin soon, and Lily wanted to savor the last moments of summer.

"Gran, do you believe in magic?" Lily asked.

"Do you?" Her grandmother's identical green eyes found her own.

"Well, I don't know. I want to say yes," Lily answered. "But I'm just a kid. I met somebody who tells me about magic, and we've become friends. I want to know if he's telling the truth."

"I can't give you an answer yet," said her grandmother. "Tell me more about it." Lily explained the little she knew about magic and Hogwarts.

"If you believe it, so do I," her grandmother told her. "I always knew there was something more in this world than the things I know. I'm just glad I found out before it's too late," she chuckled. "I think you could be a great witch, Lily. I feel like you're the type of person who could save the world one day." Lily laughed, relieved that her gran didn't think she was crazy.

"Have you told Petunia about this?" her Gran asked.

"No, Gran. I don't think she'd believe me."

"I think you should tell her. Petunia loves you, and she'd be interested in this."

Although Lily doubted her words, she said, "Thanks, Gran. You should come visit more often." Her grandmother chuckled loudly.

"I'm too old for that, Lily. I can barely walk up the stairs to tell you goodnight."

_Fall 1969 & Winter 1970:_

When September arrived, Petunia and Lily returned to primary school. Although Lily was able to sneak out to see Severus during the day a few times, Lily tried her best to spend most of her time with Petunia. Lily loved to hear about Hogwarts and magic, but she didn't want to be too let down if it all turned out to be a big joke. Sometimes she snuck out of the house to walk to the park just to jump from the swings and check that she still had magic, that it wasn't just a dream, even if Severus wasn't planning to be there.

Petunia and Lily returned to their relationship as best friends, and Petunia never said another mean word to Lily, as long as she didn't mention Severus. She made the mistake of mentioning her new friend a few times, and each time she did, Petunia would scoff and turn away, muttering something about "that strange boy". Even though she wanted to tell her all about Hogwarts, Lily didn't want to lose Petunia.

Starting school again allowed Lily to relax and spend more time with Severus. She soon learned, without him telling her, that he tried to spend as much time out of the house as possible, if he could. Not only did she learn about magic from Severus, but he gradually got to know about her Muggle life as well. Petunia was often busy, as she signed up for a chess class due to a crush she had on a boy who played chess in her grade. Additionally, Petunia often spent time after school hanging out with two of her friends, Tammy and Nancy.

Severus and Lily liked to spend time together, but the time they actually spent with one another was very sporadic. Lily signed up for an after-school swim class that was twice a week, and an art class that was also twice a week. That left one full week day after school to spend time with Severus, Thursday. Occasionally during the week they would meet at the playground and Lily would badger Severus about the magical world, but they mostly hung out on Thursdays and the weekend. They didn't fight, but sometimes Severus would make a snide comment about Petunia and Lily would call him out on it, and occasionally even go home, leaving him alone at the playground or their usual place on the bank of the river.

After lots of pleading, Lily was able to convince Petunia to return to the park with her. They played on the swings together like they used to, and Lily was very pleased. She felt proud of herself for balancing school, homework, extracurricular activities, Petunia, and Severus. She only hoped that if Severus showed up at the playground while she and Petunia were there, they wouldn't fight. Lily longed for the day that they could all three play together, but Petunia was extremely stubborn.

Similar to Petunia, Severus was also very difficult to convince. Finally, on a rainy day in December during their winter break, Lily finally dragged him home to meet her parents, who had been asking about him. Lily simply said that he was very shy, which was definitely not the complete truth, but she didn't know how to explain his character.

They stopped in front of the Evanses' home. Lily glanced at the sky anxiously. It was only misting, but the dark clouds looked very foreboding.

"C'mon, Sev, let's go inside before it starts to pour," Lily wielded, tugging on the sleeve of his overlarge jacket. From a little prodding on her part, she found out more about his home life. In short, his family had little money and his parents often fought. Severus gave her one of his rare smiles. She had taken to calling him 'Sev' because she insisted that 'Severus' was too long of a name.

After meeting him, Lily's parents seemed much more relaxed and comfortable when she spoke about him and went to spend time with him. The only problem was Petunia. She refused to speak about Severus, although Lily had broached the subject about both him and magic multiple times. Thankfully, she was gone at her friend's house when Lily first brought Severus into their home, but at the end of January, Lily was allowed to invite a friend over to celebrate her 10th birthday. When Lily informed her parents that she would like to invite Severus, Petunia took Lily into their room and questioned her.

"Why would you ever want him to come over here?'' she had hissed.

"Tuney, I know it's a difficult concept for you to understand, but Severus is my friend," Lily had said, narrowing her eyes at her. Petunia had simply huffed angrily and walked out of the room, muttering.

On the day of her birthday, it was raining. Lily didn't mind the rain usually, but she was rather tired of it.

Severus shuffled inside awkwardly as usual. Lily took his over large raincoat from him, hung it on a hook in the hall, and dragged him to her room to show him her latest favorite novel. Severus always endured her summaries of books and each one of her questions with great patience. It was obvious from the way he spent his time with her that he was thankful for their friendship, and his adoration for her ran deep.

"I have something for you," he said.

"Oh no, I told you not to get anything for me," Lily said anxiously. She knew that he could hardly afford proper clothes, let alone a birthday present.

"It's just something old… but I thought you'd like it." He seemed nervous as he held out a rectangular package toward her. Lily took it, and opened it. Inside the paper wrapping was a book entitled _From Veritaserum to Amortentia_ by Zephyrine Oriander. It's cover was a deep burgundy, and it was obvious that it had been read many times, as the pages were wrinkled and the cover stained.

"What is it?" Lily asked, interested.

"An old potions book," he responded. "We'll take a potions class at Hogwarts. I just thought- you like to read, so-" he trailed off uncertainty. Lily stepped forward and gave him a short hug.

"It's brilliant," she said excitedly. This just proved her belief in the magical world. "Thank you so much!" Her words were enough for Severus's cheeks to turn a dull red.

Petunia had attempted to opt out of Lily's birthday dinner by asking their parents to allow her to go spend time at her friend's house, but she had received a huge scolding from Azalea. "That is completely disrespectful of your sister, and you do not treat any of your sister's friends that way, do you understand?" she had said.

So dinner itself was very awkward. Severus did not exactly enjoy being with anybody other than Lily. He despised Petunia especially, and Petunia despised Severus.

Lily was allowed to walk Severus home with her father walking a few feet behind them. Lily decided to make the best of the rain, and allowed her coat's hood to slip off as she laughed and splashed in the puddles, her bright red hair turning dark. Severus gave her one of his reluctant smiles. Although he would never admit it, he did have fun at Lily's house, even though Petunia was there.

"Lily?"

"Yes?"

"This is far enough. I can walk the rest of the way from here," Severus said. Lily looked at him curiously. He looked nervous.

"They know you came over, right?"

"Yeah."

"It should be fine, then," Lily said firmly.

But as they arrived at the front of his house, she could hear two people shouting. There was a loud crash, and the sound of glass breaking.

All of the sudden, Lily began to realize why Severus spoke of Hogwarts as if it were a lifeline: for him, it was the only thing he could grasp onto that held a sliver of joy.

**A/N: We don't for sure know about the details of the situation in the Snape household, but from the little we do know, I imagine that Severus's home life was very tough. I also believe that although Petunia and Lily were close before Lily got her Hogwarts letter, Petunia was always jealous of Lily in some way, and they even grew apart before then. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Mid-June, 1970:_

The river was prettiest in the summer. The sun lit up and glittered through the trunks of the trees that were grouped together in a small thicket. The shadows cast by the trees made a basin of cool green shade. Severus and Lily sat facing each other, cross-legged on the ground. Severus had removed his coat now; his odd smock looking less peculiar in the half-light. Their voices could be heard from the trees, loud enough to be heard over the soft noise of the river's rushing water.

"…and the Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside school, you get letters."

"But I have done magic outside school!" Lily said, suddenly worried. Petunia wasn't the only one who had noticed, either. A letter from her teacher was sent home to her parents twice because she had uncontrollably erased all the ink from her mathematics textbook, or, according to the teacher, "replaced the pages with blank ones", which hardly made sense. When Lily tried to explain to her parents that it "just happened", they didn't believe her, but didn't punish her either, because even though they knew Lily hated math, there was no way she could have replaced every on of the pages in a fifth grade 300-page math textbook. On another occasion a few years back, when on the coast for a family vacation, Lily tripped when walking inside of an elevator, and the sandal on her left foot fell down into the crack between the elevator and the ground of the bottom floor. The doors shut, leaving Lily very upset because of the loss of her favorite sandals. When the family of four got back to their room, however, her left sandal was right inside the hall, a feat that nobody could explain. There were countless other incidents, and although the truth had been revealed to Lily by Severus at the age of nine, and somewhat to the unbelieving Petunia, Benjamin and Azalea were only aware of frequent strange occurrences that surrounded their youngest daughter.

"We're all right. We haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it. But once you're eleven," Severus nodded importantly, "and they start training you, then you've got to be careful."

There was a little silence. Lily had picked up a fallen twig and twirled it in the air, imagining sparks trailing from it. Then she dropped the twig, leaned in toward Severus, and said, "It is real, isn't it? It's not a joke? Petunia says you're lying to me. Petunia says there isn't a Hogwarts. It is real, isn't it?"

"It's real for us," he said. "Not for her. But we'll get the letter, you and me."

"Really?" whispered Lily.

"Definitely," said Snape, and even with his poorly cut hair and his odd clothes, he struck an oddly impressive figure sprawled in front of her, brimful of confidence in his destiny.

"And will it really come by owl?" Lily whispered.

"Normally, but you're Muggle-born, so someone from the school will have to come and explain to your parents."

"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?"

Severus hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over the pale face, the dark red hair.

"No," he said. "It doesn't make any difference."

"Good," said Lily, relaxing. It was clear that she had been worrying.

"You've got loads of magic," said Severus. "I saw that. All the time I was watching you…"

His voice trailed away; she was not listening, but had stretched out on the leafy ground and was looking up at the canopy of leaves overhead. He watched her as greedily as he usually did, since seeing her at the playground.

"How are things at your house?" Lily asked.

A little crease appeared between his eyes.

"Fine," he answered.

"They're not arguing anymore?"

"Oh yes, they're arguing," said Severus. He picked up a fistful of leaves and began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing. "But it won't be that long and I'll be gone."

"Doesn't your dad like magic?"

"He doesn't like anything, much."

"Severus?" A little smile twisted Snape's mouth when she said his name.

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about the dementors again."

"What d'you want to know about them for?"

"If I use magic outside school- "

"They wouldn't give you to the dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You're not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too-"

He turned red again and shredded more leaves. Then a small rustling noise behind them made him turn: Petunia was hiding behind a tree, and she had lost her footing.

"Tuney!" said Lily, surprise and welcome in her voice, but Snape had jumped to his feet.

"Who's spying now?" he shouted. "What d'you want?"

Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught. It was obvious that she was struggling for something hurtful to say.

"What is that you're wearing, anyway?" she said, pointing at Snape's chest. "Your mum's blouse?"

There was a crack. A branch over Petunia's head had fallen. Lily screamed. The branch caught Petunia on the shoulder, and she staggered backward and burst into tears.

"Tuney!"

But Petunia was running away. Lily rounded on Snape.

"Did you make that happen?"

"No." He looked both defiant and scared.

"You did!" She was backing away from him. "You did! You hurt her!"

"No– no, I didn't!"

But the lie did not convince Lily. After one last burning look, she ran from the little thicket, off after her sister, leaving Severus looking miserable and confused…

"I'm sorry."

"You lied," Lily's accusing voice rang out. They were standing by the river, facing each other, a few feet apart. Two weeks had passed since Lily had ran after Petunia. Petunia was angry, and after a shouting match of "How could you be friends with him? He _hurt_ me" and "You were _spying_", Petunia suggested that she would be willing to never speak of the incident again if Lily would stop hanging around Severus. Lily conceded, and although she knew she would regret it, she was angry enough at Severus to agree, and tired of his constant rudeness when he spoke Petunia. But within a few days, her anger wore off completely, and she began to miss him, as well as worry about how he was doing with his parents. Lily could finally escape Petunia when she went to an overnight sleepover at her friend Tammy's house. Her anger flared up again when she had seen him, in their normal place by the river, his posture sullen.

"I know, I- I didn't mean to, I swear-"

"Why do you hate her so much, Severus?"

"I don't- I just- I didn't mean to, I swear!" he said desperately.

"C'mon, Sev… can't you just be nice to her for once? Why can't she hang out with us?"

"She doesn't want to, anyway," he said. Although Lily didn't want to admit it, even if Petunia wanted to hang out with them, she would refuse their every offer due to pride. But still, there was no reason for Severus to treat her the way he had.

"You _hurt _her, Severus."

"I didn't mean to, I swear- magic just _happens_-"

"Then _control it_," Lily snarled.

"As if _you _control it when you jump off swings and-"

"I never hurt anybody, Severus! That's _wrong_, you can't just..." her voice trailed off. She sighed, turning away, intending to go back home.

"Lily, wait… I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I promise- I'll try harder to- to be nice…" Lily kept walking. He began to trail after her uncertainly.

"Lily, come on, _please…_" She stopped and turned.

"Just don't do it again, Sev… she's my sister, I love her… I know that's hard for you to understand because- because you don't have siblings, but please just stop saying mean things about her."

"I will," he promised. A few minutes later they lay on the grassy slope of the bank, side by side, their feet in the water, their eyes closed against the early summer sun, their fingers touching as they dreamed of magic.

_August, 1970:_

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Again, they lay near the river, their shoes cast to the side, their faces turned toward each other. Petunia had found out that Lily and Severus were spending time together again, but she had decided to ignore it, as long as Lily didn't speak of Severus. Since meeting him, the two girls had argued more frequently than ever, but Lily refused to give up her newfound friendship with Severus, who was turning into her best friend. And Petunia refused to accept him, so although things were a bit strained between them, the sisters were able to get along well enough, at least so that their parents were completely oblivious of their differences.

"I don't know. My mum was talking about going to Diagon Alley. Sometime this week, at least."

"The place where you get a wand and books and school supplies?"

"Yes," he said. "When you get your letter, you'll be able to go, too."

"How's your dad?" Lily asked, cautiously.

"Fine."

"Okay."

"He's gone a week in August every year. He stays at the workers' quarters in the factory for training."

"Do you think your mum would let you come to the fair with us? My dad told me to ask you. Petunia is staying with Mummy at the bakery. I think it could be fun."

"What's the fair?" Lily sat up suddenly.

"You don't know-?" she said, sitting up in shock. He shrugged.

"It's… very Muggle, I guess… there are roller coasters and carnival games and booths."

"I'll ask, I suppose… even though I don't really know what it would be like." Although Severus would much rather just stay by the lake and spend time with Lily all day, he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Lily's reaction was worth it, though, to see her smile light up her whole face purely because of something he said.

It turned out that Eileen Snape was not going to visit Diagon Alley until two days later. Severus hadn't even bothered to ask his mother, but he told Lily that she gave him permission to go to the fair. Severus decided that since she hardly cared to ask where he was usually, it wouldn't make a difference if he was at the fair as opposed to near home.

At the fair, Lily had the time of her life. Although Severus wouldn't admit to himself that it was rather fun, even though they were surrounded by Muggles, he fit in for Lily's sake. All he really cared about was spending time with her.

Although Lily did all she could to drag Severus on every rollercoaster, he stubbornly refused. Nothing she could do would convince him to get on "that Muggle thing", as he called it, so she went alone as he watched. Mr. Evans let them explore on their own, preferring to watch the animal races or food and art contests. Lily and Severus played games at booths, ate turkey legs and ice cream, and watched acrobats. At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Benjamin met them at the pie booth before they headed home.

It was _these _kinds of memories that Severus would grow to cherish as time went on. Hogwarts with Lily was everything he could've hoped for, but just to have her to himself without distractions was his favorite. Laying by the river, her bright smile, and her long red hair carelessly blown about her face, relaxed in his presence… it was more than everything he could have dreamed for. Because here, in the summer… he didn't have to worry about nosy Slytherins questioning his friendship with Lily or Gryffindor girls stealing away his best friend, he didn't have to worry about the hexes and taunts from James Potter and Sirius Black…

_Early October, 1970:_

Severus was becoming worried. He hadn't seen Lily in eight days. The most he went out without seeing her was two days, and even that was rare. As Petunia and Lily grew older, the more they grew apart, the more time Lily spent with Severus, and the more time Petunia occupied herself with her own friends and activities. Although Petunia didn't admit it to her face, Lily knew she hated when Lily spent time with Severus. And although Lily had friends at school, Severus was her best friend and connection to the magical world she believed in with all her heart.

On the tenth of October, Benjamin and Azalea sat down the girls and informed them that their grandmother had passed away. For a few moments they just sat there in shock, and then they both began to cry. The two sisters wrapped their arms around each other, and it was as if everything that had caused any animosity between them had disappeared. They both loved their grandmother greatly, and it caused them great pain to think that she was gone.

Lily was so heartbroken that she begged her parents to let her stay home from school. When they allowed her one day to skip, she immediately wished that she had gone. If she went to school, at least she would have been busy with thoughts other than her grandmother. All she had at home was Simba to distract her, and all he did was sleep in the sun all day. Once Lily returned, she felt better, but still could not bear to face Severus.

Although her parents were young, her grandmother was not. She had been about forty-five years old when she finally conceived and birthed a child, the year before her husband went off to fight in 1939. It was the only child she had, Benjamin, named after her husband who had died whilst coming home from the Second World War.

But as time went on, Lily would come to understand that no matter how old somebody was, no matter how much she might expect it, she would never be prepared enough to lose somebody that she loved.

It was about four in the afternoon on the eighth day of not seeing Lily when Severus knocked on the Evanses' home. Lily's mother was the one who opened the door. Without hesitation, she invited him inside.

"She's up in her room," was all she said. Cautiously, Severus made his way up the stairs and knocked on the shut door of Petunia and Lily's shared bedroom. Petunia opened it. She looked at him for a few seconds, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms. At last, she said, "Come in."

He walked inside, his eyes immediately finding Lily. She was sitting on the bed, legs crossed, staring out the window. Petunia exited the room, slamming the door behind her, presumably to go downstairs.

"My grandmother died." Without turning, Lily knew it was Severus.

"I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say. She had mentioned her grandmother a few times, but never in a way that seemed like she was elderly. She had even told Severus that she believed in magic, although he seriously doubted this; to him, Muggles weren't capable of understanding anything about magic.

"It's not your fault." Severus moved forward and sat on the floor by her bed, leaning against it.

"Will there be a funeral?"

"Yes. In three days."

"I'll come with you, if you'd like." Although he would rather do anything but, he knew she would appreciate the gesture. His words were all it took for her to start crying again, her usually bright, full-of-life, beautiful green eyes filling with tears then overflowing, streaming down her cheeks.

"Thank you." And then they just sat there, thankful for each other's company, thankful that no matter what, they had a friend to turn to. Unbeknownst to them, Petunia listened to them through the door, wondering if maybe, just maybe, she had been wrong about Severus, before she made her way down the stairs again, deep in thought.

_January 1971:_

Lily could not remember a time where she had been more excited about her birthday. The day after Thanksgiving she began counting down the days, and after the New Year, she was even more excited, not only for her birthday, but for Severus's. For her, turning eleven was a magical number, literally. Although she knew from Severus that letters would not come until mid-July, the number eleven was a symbol of all things to come.

It took much convincing on Lily's part to find out Severus's birthday. It turned out that it fell only twenty-one days before hers, on January 9th. She had not idea what to get him, but eventually she settled on a framed photo of them that her father had insisted on taking at the fair last summer, a handmade card, and a painting of a doe that Lily had made in art class. After she gave it to him, she knew from his expression that it had been a good choice.

For her birthday that year, she wanted Severus to come to the movies with her family. However, he said that his father had been demanding his presence at home on the weekends, and he wouldn't be able to go. Besides, he felt that Petunia would hardly appreciate his attendance, a point which Lily could not argue. However, after Lily's celebration, they met at the park per usual in the evening.

"Hi," Severus greeted her. "I have something for you- it is your birthday, after all." It was another old book, just like last year. Except this time, it was entitled, _Exie's Book of Charms_ by Exie Roottare_. _"I find Charms a bit boring, but you might like it," he said, handing it to her. "It's an old one, we have so many in the attic… I'm sorry I didn't wrap it, but there's a card in the cover." Lily's bright smile was more than he could ask for.

"Thank you so much, Sev," she beamed. "I loved the Potions one, I've read it so many times… I can't wait to go to Hogwarts and learn about everything!" She hugged him quickly. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine," he muttered.

"You could stay in the spare bedroom at our house if it gets too bad," Lily offered hesitantly. She immediately wished she hadn't said anything.

"I'm _fine_," he spat, his face reddening in embarrassment and anger. "I don't need your… _pity._" He turned around, intent on going back home.

"Sev… Look, I-"

"I'm fine," he said, but it was less harshly this time, and he faced her again, still refusing to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry I got mad… I just-"

"It's alright, Sev… but I should probably go, yeah? I'll see you tomorrow." She gave him a strained smile, trying to hide her frustration at his mood swings and his unacceptance of her help. She glanced in the direction of his house and wished more than anything that he had parents like hers. Then she turned in the dark and walked down the street, her steady gait turning into a quick run she turned the corner, sure she wouldn't be seen by Severus any more, clutching _Exie's Book of Charms _tightly to her chest.

_June 1971_

On the last day of June, an awful thought flew into Lily's mind, one that she immediately questioned Severus when she saw him early that morning.

"Will your dad let you go to Hogwarts?" Lily knew that his mother was a witch, and his father a Muggle that was unaware of Eileen's ability to do magic until they married. But the way he spoke of Hogwarts, Lily never doubted that he would go.

"Yes," Severus said, his voice soft and solemn. He paused for a few moments, deep in thought, avoiding Lily's eyes. "When my mum got pregnant with me, she told him that no matter what, when I turned eleven, I would go to Hogwarts. She said that if he didn't like it, she would leave him, and… Well, even though they fight and he doesn't treat her well… He didn't want that." There was another pause before he added bitterly, "Besides, I'm sure he'll be happier when I'm gone."

"Don't say that," Lily said immediately. "That's… it's not true, even if it seems like it is sometimes."

"I don't believe that for a second," he voiced, his tone still bitter. Lily sighed.

"Parents will do anything for their children because they love them," she said firmly. "No matter what. I believe that with my whole heart, and nothing you can say will change it." Severus was just silent, his jaw twitching.

"Anyway, I'm just glad you can go. I wouldn't want to go without you," Lily uttered softly.

"Two more months," Severus agreed, and their conversation was forgotten.

_July 20, 1971_

The day Severus received his letter, his father was already gone to work, even though it was a Saturday. Eileen ripped off the blank portion at the bottom of the parchment and allowed Severus to respond, _"I accept the invitation to attend Hogwarts"_ to send back with the school owl to the deputy headmistress. Then, in a rare display of affection, she put her arms around him, told him that she was proud of him, and said that she would take him to Diagon Alley next weekend to get his school supplies.

As soon as his mother retired to her bedroom, Severus raced over to the Evanses' home, his letter gripped tightly in his hands. It was still rather early in the morning, but he could see Lily eating her breakfast through the kitchen window. He sat on the curb, waiting.

He had barely waited for five minutes before Lily raced out of the race, her shoelaces untied, her red hair wildly behind her. In an attempt to avoid suspicion, Severus suggested they go to the playground, and Lily agreed, bending down to tie her sneakers.

Finding them miraculously already tied, she flashed Severus a huge grin when he smirked knowingly, and they raced off to the playground to examine the letter.

"You said they send out all the letters on the same day?" Lily asked anxiously, after minutes upon minutes of reading his letter.

"I'm not sure," Severus said. "Remember, someone might have to travel here to explain everything to you and your parents."

"So it might take longer?" Lily's eyes shone with worry.

"Yeah," he said. His eyes looked up from the letter to meet hers, offering a shrug.

"But it doesn't make a difference, does it? That I'm Muggle-born, and someone will have to come explain things? It doesn't matter at all?" Her tone rose a few octaves as she spoke, reiterating words already spoken a summer ago. Severus's expression was unreadable.

"It doesn't matter," he said firmly, but his eyes had returned to the letter. After a moment he looked up again, eyes meeting again the jade sea of worry reflected in her own, and said, without a trace of doubt, "You're going to get a letter. I've seen what you can do, the power you have, and I know it's real".

That night, Lily could hardly sleep at all. Her best friend's words echoed in her mind, and she tossed and turned until she fell into a dreamless sleep, just before the sun began to rise. Despite her time spent with Severus during the next few days, his constant assurance did not help her worry, although she hid it well in front of him. At night, she lay awake, pondering the truth.

This went on for days. On the Sunday morning of July 30th, Lily's parents allowed her to sleep in until half past eight before waking her. When she was woken up by her father, she leapt out of bed and groggily asked if any letters had come for her. Her father answered no, wondering why on earth Lily would be asking such a thing, but attributed her strange behavior to the morning hour.

The Evanses went to church frequently on Sunday mornings, and although Lily usually looked forward to listening to the town's pastor, she could hardly sit still. All she could think about was her letter, and why it hadn't come yet.

"Sit still," hissed Petunia, who sat on her left. "Do you have to pee or what?" Lily just shook her head silently, and returned her eyes to the front of the church. She stared at the pastor, wishing his beard to be long and white instead of short and gray. Her eyes found the Bible in his hands, and fixated on it, willing it to turn a page. To her utmost surprise, all of the pages rapidly flipped over, and the whole book jumped out of the pastor's hands, hitting the floor with a loud _smack!_ A low murmur sounded throughout the church, accompanied with a few hesitant giggles.

The pastor, turning red, bent over to pick up the Bible, and flipped through to find his page again. He cleared his throat and muttered a comment about how he was "getting too old for this" before resuming his sermon.

Still, Lily could not pay attention. Her heart raced, knowing in her gut that it was her fault that the Bible dropped, and she shifted on the wooden bench, trying to hide her smile. She completely missed Petunia's look of suspicion.

After eating lunch on the way home, her mother told her to change into something more comfortable and go outside, in hopes of releasing some of her pent-up energy. Fearing that something important might occur when she was out of the house, she sprinted down to the cul de sac of her street before racing back, checking the mailbox. She knew there was no post on Sundays, but she refused to overlook any possibility of missing the letter. Finding it empty, Lily entered back into the house with a sigh. Petunia was waiting for her in the hall.

"It's not going to come, you know."

"What's not going to come?" Lily asked, her heart pounding. Was the whole thing some sort of sick joke that Severus and Petunia had put together? What if there was no Hogwarts, no witches and wizards, but just two kids with imaginative lies put into words and on paper, and a horrid sense of humor?

"The letter you're waiting for."

"I'm not waiting for a letter," Lily said, telling the biggest lie she had ever told and crossing her arms, but her eyes began to prickle with unshed tears and she rushed to her bedroom, calling to her parents that she wanted to read and take a nap before dinner that evening. When she got inside, she shut the door quickly and leaned her back against it, tears streaming down her face as she began to realize that all her hopes and dreams of the last two years were nothing but lies. Simba crawled onto her lap, meowing softly. Shaking in anger and devastation, she moved away from the door and lay on her stomach on top of her bed, pulling up the loose floorboard that lie underneath and grabbing the Potions and Charms books that she had memorized after Severus had given them to her on her birthdays. Setting it on top of her bed, she wiped away the tears still on her cheeks and glared at the books before grabbing them and tearing page after page out, her tears starting again before she began to sob uncontrollably. Lily shoved the mess of the old books underneath her bed and lay face down in her pillow before she turned on her side and fell asleep.

_July 31, 1971_

Lily awoke to the sound of her name being shouted from downstairs. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the sun had emerged from the cloudy sky and, looking at her bedside clock, saw that it was already ten-thirty in the morning. She had slept through dinner, and it was Monday. Panic rose up within her, surging in her chest like an untamed sea. It was the last day of July, and still she had not received her Hogwarts letter. Tears pricked her eyes, and she angrily brushed them away. She threw her alarm clock against the wall and then kicked her bedpost, regretting it immediately as fresh pain blossomed on her toes. Then she heard her father ascending the steps of the stairs calling, "Lily? Lily! A visitor is here to see you!"

A great explosion of hope surged up into her chest, and she threw herself toward the door, hopping toward it on her undamaged foot in three huge strides. The door flew open, and in her disarray, she tripped, tumbling down the stairs, landing at the hem of an emerald green cloak. She looked up, and a woman wearing a witch's hat serenely stared down at her, the corners of her thin mouth twitching. Her face reddening immediately, Lily slowly got up from the floor, her eyes travelling over to where her mother and father stood near the kitchen doorway, looking equally confused and amused because of the strange woman in their home and Lily's outstanding entrance. Then she searched for Petunia, who sat in the armchair a distance away from the rest, her face changing expressions too fast to read her feelings properly. Finally, Lily's eyes returned to the face of the woman in the emerald robes and witch's hat. Her face still pink, she met eyes with the woman and simply said, "Hello."

It was obvious that the woman was doing everything she could to refrain from laughing. Lily was sure that she looked quite frightful, with her dishevelled hair, rumpled clothing, red-rimmed eyes and bruised foot. All the same, the woman spoke, peering over her glasses to look directly at Lily.

"Are you Miss Lily Evans?"

"Yes," Lily answered breathlessly.

"I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said, and after a long, silent pause in which Lily's parents exchanged bewildered glances and Petunia silently scowled, she suggested, "Why don't we all sit down? I think it's time we have a little chat."

The events that enfolded were all that Lily had been waiting for. The woman named Professor McGonagall handed her a letter addressed:

_Miss L. Evans_

_The Sisters' Bedroom_

_7 Larkspur Road_

_Long Alleghany_

_Cokeworth_

Lily glanced up at her parents momentarily before breaking the purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding the letter 'H'. Inside were two pieces of parchment, which, to Lily, was elaborate and old-fashioned, as she only used boring white Muggle paper. Although she had already seen Severus's letter, she read the first page, her heart singing with relief and joy:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Gand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss Evans,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. _

_ Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Silently, Lily handed the letter to her mother before pulling the second page out of the envelope. Next to her, her parents read it while she looked through the supplies list. Although she really didn't need to look at it since she had seen the identical one Severus had received, there was something exhilarating about reading her very own.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Uniform_

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

_Set Books-_

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic _by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling

_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble

_Other Equipment_

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

Lily furrowed her brow. She did not recall reading about broomsticks on Severus's letter. Wondering what they could possibly be used for, she looked up to see her parents watching her, confused, and Professor McGonagall watching her curiously. Petunia was glaring. Lily said nothing. Her father cleared his throat.

"So," he said, "Lily is- is a witch, you say?" Professor McGonagall nodded.

"Miss Evans- Lily, that is- possess magical abilities. I assume that you do not believe in magic?" Without waiting for an answer she pulled out her wand and turned the coffee table into a stag. Registering their looks of shock and surprise, she waved it again, and the coffee table resumed its original form.

"Wow," was all her parents could say. Professor McGonagall began to explain more, about Hogwarts and Diagon Alley and holidays, but Lily barely listened. She knew it all from Severus anyway. All she could think of was how it was really real, that she _was, truly_, a witch, and that she could _really do magic_. That all her worries from earlier were for nothing.

Lily's eyes found Petunia, who sat on an armchair across the room, near the door. She was already staring at her, her face unreadable as her eyes found Lily's. Then without a word, she got up and turned her back, opened the front door and walked out, shutting the door loudly behind her. Lily suddenly felt cold, and empty. Her eyes turned toward her parents, who hadn't noticed Petunia's leaving, and who were still bombarding Professor McGonagall with question after question. Professor McGonagall's face was rather amused, and for some reason Lily thought her expression was unusual for what seemed to be a rather stern woman.

"Lily." It was her mother.

"Yes?"

"You haven't said anything… what do you think? You don't seem very surprised." Her mother's concerned face swam above her own, then came back into focus. Her large, gentle brown eyes found Lily's green ones, and Lily suddenly wanted to curl up in her mother's arms and cry.

"Petunia left," was all she could say, her voice cracking. Her mother turned to face her father, exchanging a worried glance with him. Professor McGonagall looked at Lily, her face laced with sympathy.

"She'll be back," said her father, his voice assuring. "Don't worry about that now. Would you like to go to Hogwarts, Lily? Your mother and I- we always wondered, because there were some… strange things that occurred that we could never explain. We're so proud to have a witch in the family." He smiled at her, a bit bewildered, but there was unmistakable pride in his voice. Lily's excitement returned immediately.

"Yes!" she nearly shouted, standing from the couch. "Yes, of course I want to go... Mummy- could I-?"

"Of course," said her mother, smiling. "It sounds like there's no better place for you to be… I mean, it's not as if we can just squash the magic out of you…" she laughed. "We'll miss you though, so much… " her eyes watered, and she turned her heart-shaped face to look at McGonagall. "We need to send a response… how do we do that, exactly?"

Professor McGonagall stood, her green robes sweeping the floor as she straightened, looking very down to business. "Well," she said, "all I need is your response in writing… I will take it back to Hogwarts for you, and I will give you the directions to get to Diagon Alley in order to get your school supplies. Unless, you do not have a way of getting to London?" The question was directed at Lily, but her parents answered.

"We'll manage," Azalea said. "As long as we have directions." Although her parents were nowhere close to poor, Lily's family was not rich. Lily hoped that school supplies would not be too expensive, but her worries vanished when she remembered Severus. She cleared her throat.

"What about- isn't there-" she stopped for a moment. "We don't use Muggle money, though, do we?" Professor McGonagall looked at her strangely.

"No, we do not… I have a vault number for you, here. You will have to first visit Gringotts, the wizarding bank, to obtain it. Since you are Muggle-born, you have a vault with some money in it already, and you can convert Muggle money into Wizarding coins when you are there, also." She paused. "Are you sure you will be alright on your own? Lily will be able to see the entrance to Diagon Alley, but we always offer guidance to our Muggle-borns." Benjamin nodded.

"Thank you for your help so far," he said. "You've explained a lot, although I'm sure I'll always have questions…" He chuckled, and Azalea nodded by his side fervently. McGonagall picked up her hat off the coffee table, where she had set it, and put it on. She tucked the piece of paper with Azalea's writing of acceptance on it into her robes.

"Well, I must be off," she said briskly. Turning to Lily, she said. "Miss Evans, I look forward to getting to know you and teaching you Transfiguration this next September. I tucked your ticket to board the train into your envelope." Looking at her for a moment, she added, "You seem rather quiet. Are there any questions you might have? You've taken this news very… calmly."

"I-" she glanced at her parents. They looked at her curiously. Hesitantly, she said, "I have a friend, named Severus Snape… he's also a wizard, and so-" she stopped, suddenly realizing that he could get into trouble by telling a Muggle about the wizarding world. McGonagall nodded, looking surprised. Benjamin and Azalea's mouths dropped open. _This_ explained a lot.

"So- so you _knew_? All this time you _knew_?" Benjamin asked incredulously. Lily shrugged.

"Since I was nine, although I never fully believed it until now…" She glanced at McGonagall before saying anxiously, "I know that I wasn't supposed to know… something about the Statute of Secrecy… but oh, _please_ don't get Severus into trouble! I never told anybody else… Petunia overheard once, but she didn't believe it! Please don't send him to Azkaban, he didn't do anything wrong…" She finished her rapid speech, still looking pleadingly at McGonagall.

This time, McGonagall couldn't help it. She laughed aloud, causing Lily to look alarmed.

"He won't go to Azkaban for that," she assured her. "Don't worry, it'll be alright. Now, I really must go…" The witch glanced at the clock that hung on the wall and nodded at them before exiting the house and shutting the door. Through the window, there was a swish of her emerald green robes before she disappeared into thin air. Benjamin, Azalea, and Lily stared out the window, open mouthed. Even though they all knew about magic, it still shocked them, even Lily

The sun began to set when Benjamin asked, still a bit dazed, "What is Azkaban?"

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Reviews are welcome!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_July 31, 1971:_

It wasn't until after dinner that Benjamin and Azalea allowed Lily to run over to Severus and announce her news, even when she had insisted that he would worry if she didn't tell him. Lily stood until she had to sit, and then she kept bouncing in her seat. She walked upstairs to her room for the sole purpose of having something to do, and when she got there she found the books that she had ripped up- the ones Severus had given her- on her pillow, restored to their original states. Relieved that her most coveted treasures weren't ruined, she cradled them to her body before placing them back underneath the floorboard with care.

Petunia returned home a little before dinner. Lily was in the front room, but Petunia passed her without saying a word, and went straight up to their room. Their mother followed soon after, presumably to have a long talk to her.

Lily thought about eavesdropping on their conversation, but she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the awful things she imagined Petunia would say to her. Even so, Petunia's shout of "_she's completely unnatural!_" could not be missed, even by her father, who put down his newspaper, glancing at Lily before he joined them upstairs. It was for this reason that Lily ate her father's bolognese alone as fast as she could so that she could go see Severus and avoid the chaos.

As soon as her last bite was gone, Lily raced over to the Snape home, hoping she didn't have pasta sauce all over her face. She arrived at the doorstep, stumbling slightly, out of breath. Her heart began to race as the realization sunk in that she didn't know who was home, or who would answer the door. Telling herself that she would have to be brave, she raised her fist to knock until she heard a noise behind her.

"_Psst_, over here!" called Severus in a hushed whisper. Lily turned around. Severus was standing in the street, waving her toward him. She walked to his side, and they set off down the street.

"I'm avoiding my house at the moment," Severus spat sourly. "My dad is drinking quite a bit; he's not too happy that my mum and I went to Diagon Alley and brought _magic_ home." Lily nodded understanding.

"I'm sorry," she said. He shrugged, and then looked at her expectantly.

"Did you get it!?" he asked, and his excitement could not be hidden. She smiled widely.

"I got it," she said breathlessly, handing him her letter. "I thought I wouldn't- it's the last day of July!- I was so worried! And so upset…" Her words trailed off as she remembered her tears. Lily wanted to tell him that it was Petunia who had made her so upset, but she wanted to avoid making him dislike her even more.

"Professor McGonagall- she's from Hogwarts- she came and explained everything. I can go! My parents will drive me to London to Diagon Alley, and Kings' Cross to get my school supplies and catch the train… and maybe Petunia…" she frowned. Severus didn't notice, he was looking at her letter, listening.

"I'm glad," he said, hesitantly smiling at her. "I can't wait! Only one month…" he trailed off longingly, and Lily laughed, because to her, one month was a _very, very _long time to wait.

"Mum and Dad say they'll take me to get my things next Saturday," she said. "You already went, didn't you? But do you think-"

"No," Severus interrupted. "I already asked if I could wait for you to go, but she said no… and I don't want to ask again, she'll just say no again because she's avoiding making _him_ angry…" Lily knew that he spoke of his father.

"Alright," she said, a bit disappointed but understanding all the same. "I should go, my parents said I have to come right back... but I'll see you tomorrow."

_Early August, 1971:_

"Is Petunia coming, Mummy?" Lily asked tentatively. Since Lily had received her letter, Petunia had refused to say anything to Lily, except for a few scathing words. She had even taken to leaving whatever room Lily walked in. Granted, it had only been a week, but Lily was tired of feeling guilty for Petunia's anger. Lily avoided her as much as possible, and their parents became very aware that their daughters were not on good speaking terms. Still, it was difficult for Lily not to care about her sister's resentment of her, especially when it was because of the thing she loved most.

Azalea opened the refrigerator to retrieve some milk. They were in the kitchen, making cinnamon rolls to eat the next morning before they made their first trip to Diagon Alley.

"Not unless she changes her mind," she responded, a bit sad.

"She already said no, then?" Lily asked, upset.

"I'm sorry, honey," Azalea said, looking at her as she mixed the icing together. "I know you were hoping she would."

"Why is she so mad, Mum?"

"She's a bit jealous, I think. She probably just needs some time to register it. She will miss you, after all." Lily sighed. The way Petunia was acting was as if she wouldn't miss her one bit.

"I'll miss you all too. I just wish…" Lily's voice trailed off, tears stinging her eyes. She bent down to pick up Simba, who was brushing against her legs.

"I know," said her mother. "I know it's hard, Lily, but you shouldn't ever be ashamed or think that it's your fault," she declared, her voice firm. "Your father and I are _so_ proud that you are a witch."

"Thanks, mum." Lily gave her mother a hug before she placed Simba on the floor and resumed baking. She decided that she would attempt to talk to Petunia later and try to convince her to go to Diagon Alley.

Lily's attempts to convince Petunia were unsuccessful. Early the next morning, Benjamin, Azalea, and Lily hopped into their family car and began to drive to Diagon Alley. Petunia, at thirteen years old, was allowed to stay home by herself, as long as she didn't answer the door. The drive was rather long, but Lily couldn't fall asleep. She was too excited, and she brought the books Severus had given her. Although she read them both multiple times already; she thought the subjects to be absolutely fascinating.

It was cloudy when the Evanses reached their destination, parking near their designated spot. Benjamin kept putting on his glasses to look at Professor McGonagall's instructions. Lily was thankful that she had worn a summer dress and sandals, as it was hot with humidity. They were walking along a busy street in London when Lily spotted the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. When they entered the door, an older, toothless wizard smiled at them from behind the bar. At their pure fascination of the self-washing dishes and interesting guests, he immediately knew that they were a Muggle family. He introduced himself as Tom, the barkeeper, and used his wand to transform a brick wall into an arch that led to Diagon Alley. Lily thanked him, as her parents were too stunned to say anything, and took her first step into the crowded, cobblestone street.

It was unlike anything she had ever imagined. There were shops everywhere, huddled together, robes in windows, thousands of books, owls screeching, signs that advertised cauldrons, beetle eyes, dragon liver, quills, telescopes… Lily stood there for a moment, taking it all in. She didn't know where to go first. In the distance Lily saw a snowy-white building that towered over all the other little shops, and she took hold of her parents hands and led them over to where the building, Gringotts, stood. It was made of marble, with a bronze door, and a strange creature in front.

"Is that- is that a _goblin_?" asked Benjamin, open mouthed. Lily shrugged, and then nodded, assuming that it was. Severus had never mentioned anything about this… She read the poem engraved on the second pair of doors, silver this time, and was warned to not even attempt to steal anything from the bank.

"You see that, Daddy?" Lily whispered, loud enough so that he could hear as they entered into a huge marble hall. "Don't touch, just look. The magical world is strange, you don't know what will happen!" Her father chuckled, as did her mother, and so did another person, behind them. Lily turned. A man wearing deep blue robes had walked into Gringotts behind them, his eyes twinkling, full of amusement. He was tall, taller than Mr. Evans, and he had laugh lines around his eyes, and his raven-colored hair was heavily peppered with gray. Even so, he looked young as he smiled at them brightly. As the Evanses stopped, he walked over to a desk with a goblin stationed behind it, and began speaking to him. Lily and her parents just stood there, wondering what to do next.

The man, who finished speaking to the goblin, turned, and seeing them continue to stand there, made his way over to them and extended his hand to both Benjamin and Azalea.

"Hello, I'm Fleamont Potter," he said. "Have you ever been to Gringotts before?" Lily's parents exchanged rather wary glances, and Lily took it upon herself to answer him. She cleared her throat.

"This is our first time," she said. "These are my parents, Benjamin and Azalea… I'm Lily Evans."

"Will you be attending Hogwarts in the fall?"

"Yes, um… I'm Muggle-born, you see. I got my letter about a week ago." He smiled kindly.

"Ah, wonderful," he said. "My son is starting there as well. I just came here today to retrieve some things for my wife. If you'd like, I could help show you around," he offered.

"Oh, we don't want to intrude on your time," Azalea said at last.

"Az, we know nothing about this," Benjamin said, chuckling. He glanced at Lily. "We know that this is the bank, but we're not sure how to…" Mr. Potter nodded understandably.

"Well, follow me," he said. He led them to the same goblin he had spoken to earlier. "Do you have a vault number?" he asked them. The goblin looked at them expectantly.

"Three hundred and seventeen," Lily read from the paper McGonagall had given them.

"And we'd like to convert some money," Azalea added.

Mr. Potter ended up being a great help to the Evanses at Gringotts. Although it wasn't a long process to exchange money and visit their vaults, they were glad that he was there to guide them.

When they exited Gringotts bank, the sun had retreated behind some clouds. Lily suggested that her parents go and sit down in a café, as they were a bit overwhelmed by the thought of all the shopping they had to do, and a bit nauseous from riding on the Gringotts carts. After they agreed, Lily set off down the street, wondering how on earth she would find everything, let alone carry it all, when all she had was a backpack.

Near Gringotts was the wand shop, Ollivanders. It was small and quaint, and when she walked through the doors, a bell tinkled from the top of the door. It was empty and quiet, and Lily couldn't stop looking around. She was facing the shelves of boxes, wondering how many types of wands there could possibly be, when somebody cleared their throat from behind her. Turning, she saw an older man, slightly bent over, with white hair and silvery gray eyes.

"Hello," she said timidly. "I'll be going to Hogwarts in September… I was wondering if you could help me-"

"Ah, yes, find a wand," he said, rather rapidly and without blinking. "Of course, of course… now which is your wand arm?"

"I'm- I'm left-handed," she stammered.

"Ah, you're special, I see" he murmured, and pulled out a tape measure, which measured various portions of Lily's body on its own accord. Mr. Ollivander began pulling various boxes off the walls, muttering to himself.

Lily had tried about twenty-six wands ("a difficult one, I see") and blown several holes in the ceiling ("oh, no! I'm _so_ sorry") before she finally found what Mr. Ollivander proclaimed to be _the one_.

"Ah, ten and a quarter inches, willow with a Phoenix feather core, swishy, excellent for Charmwork. This wand suits you well," he nodded knowledgeably. He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he just patted her on the shoulder, and accepted her seven Galleons. His silver eyes watched her as she exited and walked down the street to the cauldron store. On the way she ran into her parents, who immediately wanted to see her wand.

With her parents' help, Lily bought most of her necessary items which included books, phials, protective gloves, brass scales, a cauldron, and a telescope. Benjamin and Azalea then decided to go look at the animals while Lily went to buy clothes.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want me to come with you, Lily?" her mother had asked. Benjamin impatiently stood next to her, his hand clasped in hers.

"I'll be fine, Mum," she insisted, smiling at her parents. At Madam Malkin's, Lily waited patiently while another young boy got fitted for his robes. He had dark, slightly wavy hair, and he was tall, lanky, and gray-eyed. While Madam Malkin went to retrieve a pair of robes, he stood on the stool, slouching slightly, a look of utter boredom on his face. Lily stood a few meters away, unseen by the boy, watching him.

"Your robes aren't going to fit if you stand like that," she said. Immediately, she wished she had kept her mouth shut, realizing that it was a rather rude thing to say. But he just turned, and gave a short laugh, like the bark of a dog, raising an eyebrow at her.

"And you are-?" he asked, a smirk crossing his face.

"Lily Evans," she muttered, rather shy. "And you?" When she said her name he immediately glanced behind her, as if he was searching for someone. It was like he was trying to avoid being seen smuggling cookies from the cookie jar, lest he get into trouble.

"Sirius Black," he returned, trying to hide a grimace. When she did not give him the reaction he expected, he smiled genuinely at her and asked, although he already knew the answer, "You're Muggleborn?" Lily bit her lip. He said it with curiosity, but to her it was an odd question for him to ask.

"Yeah," she finally said, a bit defensively. "I am."

"Cool," he said, and it seemed like he meant it. In fact, he looked at her like she was some foreign prize to him.

Madam Malkin reappeared, holding robes, and finally noticed Lily.

"Hello," she said. "Just a moment, dear, and you'll be next." She gave Sirius a pair of robes and instructed him to try them on. Once he assured her that they fit, he stepped down from the stool and Lily stepped up. Although Lily expected him to leave, he stood a few feet away, watching her. Lily told Madam Malkin what she needed, and after measuring her, she went to go search for it as Sirius began to speak to her again.

"So, have you done any magic?" he asked.

"Not intentionally," she said. "But yes." He nodded thoughtfully. It was as if he was trying to figure her out.

"Did you have any idea? That you're a witch, before your letter came?"

"Yes," Lily responded honestly, knowing that it wasn't very common. "I have a friend who lives in my Muggle town, and I was made aware of that fact."

"Who was it?" he asked. "I'm sorry for asking so many questions; it's just that I'm from a family full of wizards, so I don't know what it's like on the other side." Lily laughed.

"It's alright," she said, avoiding the answer to his question. "Have you ever met somebody that's Muggle-born then? Or even a Muggle?"

"A Muggle," he said. "Because I live in a Muggle neighborhood, but never a Muggle-born. You're going to Hogwarts in September?"

"Yes," she said proudly. "Are you?" But before he could answer, a woman opened the door and stormed inside, her dark eyes searching the shop as she screeched out, "Sirius! Where are you?" At the sight of her, Sirius's face suddenly became dark, and he seemed to shrink down a few inches. Lily was suddenly strongly reminded of Severus.

"Here, Mother," he called back to her, his face turning rather sullen. "My robes are ready!" Madam Malkin appeared again next to Lily, with possible choices in her hands. She set them down on Lily's stool and took the robes from Sirius.

"I'll just get these wrapped up for you, dear," she said, and went to go busy herself at the register. Walburga Black swooped down on Sirius, standing a little in front of his shoulder, her eyes narrowing at Lily.

"Who is this?" she asked Sirius, but her eyes were on Lily. Lily opened her mouth to respond, but Sirius beat her to it.

"Lily Potter," he said quickly. Lily opened her mouth to argue, but Sirius frantically shook his head from behind Walburga's shoulder, pointing his thumb at his mother. Once again, Lily was reminded of Severus, whose eyes held fear and deep dislike whenever he spoke of his parents.

"I wasn't aware the Potters had a daughter," Walburga said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Mum you've hardly even met the Potters," Sirius rolled his eyes. "You just stay in the house all day. The only thing you know about them is that their blood is _pure_." Although Lily did not understand what he meant when he spoke about blood, she noticed that he spoke the last word rather jeeringly, rolling his eyes. Walburga glared at her son with menace.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, Sirius Orion Black," she said. "And you know very well that we don't associate ourselves with filthy mudbloods, or even half-bloods, you hear? Besides, I've heard a rumour that those Potters have been mingling with _dirty blood_."

Sirius looked at her in dislike, glancing at Lily apologetically before returning his eyes to his mother. He avoided a response when Madam Malkin returned with Sirius's packages. Walburga, who had turned her eyes to Lily, most likely to insult her, was also interrupted.

"Here you are," she said, handing it to him. Walburga extracted her coins and handed them to Madam Malkin.

"You did get everything I told you, didn't you?" Walburga directed at Sirius.

"Yes," Sirius said, and it was obvious that it was only with great effort he was trying not to roll his eyes. "As if I need anything else."

"Don't take that tone with me," Walburga growled. Then she turned to Madam Malkin, "You don't serve any mudbloods here, do you?" Madam Malkin straightened to her full height.

"I will _not_ tolerate that word being used in my store," she said coldly. "I serve anybody who needs to buy robes, as I should." Walburga scowled and grasped Sirius's arm firmly, steering him outside the shop. He turned back to look at Lily, trying to mouth something at her, but she could not understand what it was. After bells on the door settled once more at its close, Madam Malkin turned to Lily, smiling at her kindly.

"Let's get you measured, dear," she said, and for the second time that day, a measuring tape sprang up out of his own accord, taking her measurements from head to toe.

_August 29, 1971:_

"Petunia! _Petunia!_" Lily yelled, sticking her head out of their bedroom. She was overcome with anger. Since her trip to Diagon Alley, she tried to speak to Petunia numerous times, begging her to stop ignoring her. She offered to play Petunia's favorite game of Scrabble with her, bake something with her, and even show her Hogwarts materials to her. Petunia's response to the last offer was slamming the door in her face.

After weeks of trying, Lily was done. She could hardly bear getting ready for bed, as Petunia would completely ignore her. Petunia had moved all of her belongings to the other side of the room, and Lily could almost see the line of division that split the room in half. So when Lily returned home before dinner and entered their room, intending to change clothes, she was shocked to see that all of Petunia's things were completely gone, including her bed.

"PETUNIA!" Petunia appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"What?" she snapped.

"Where are all of your things!?"

"Mum and Dad said I could move into the spare bedroom," Petunia said snidely. "I don't want all of your _abnormal_ things touching mine." At this point, Lily was beyond upset. She stood there, shaking, trying not to let tears overcome her.

"Why are you being so selfish? Why can't you just be happy for me?" Lily cried out, her hands wringing with frustration.

"_Selfish,_" Petunia spat. "_You're_ the one leaving us! _You're _the one who's choosing to be- to be _some odd witch_ instead of a normal person!"

"I DIDN'T CHOOSE THIS!" Lily yelled, now storming down the stairs towards Petunia. "IT CHOSE ME!" Benjamin and Azalea appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, alarmed at their daughters' tempers.

"That's enough!" bellowed their father. "Sit down, both of you. Now!" he ordered, when they did not move. Petunia took the armchair that sat in the corner by the window, sitting stiffly, arms crossed. Lily carelessly slouched on the sofa farthest from her, glaring at the floor.

"From now on," began Azalea, with an encouraging nod from her husband, "there will be no more yelling in this house. You two will learn to at least tolerate each other." She took a deep breath, and for the first time in her life, Lily saw tears in her mother's eyes. "It makes me sad to know that you two used to be best friends, and now you can hardly speak to each other without screaming."

"We are a family," Benjamin said. "No matter how far apart we may be," he added, looking at Petunia, "and we will treat each other as such." A shadow of shame fell across her face, but she looked away from her father's eyes, stubbornly refusing to speak.

"Are we understood?"

"Yes," Lily murmured. "I'm sorry, mum, dad, Petunia." Her green eyes tried to meet her sister's but Petunia did not even look at her.

"Yes," Petunia muttered, and she got up, retiring to the kitchen.

The next day, Petunia was gone all day at a school friend's birthday party. Benjamin and Azalea were both working, and Severus and Lily took a break from the heat, lounging indoors in the Evanses home. Much to his amusement, Lily took him up to her room and showed him how she had organized her trunk from top to bottom. "This way, I can find everything I need," she told him. As they were about to return downstairs for a bowl of ice cream, Severus caught sight of the inside of Petunia's room. Surprisingly, she had left her door half-open. On her desk, usually completely spotless, sat a letter and its envelope, both slightly crumpled. But there was no mistaking the bright Hogwarts crest.

"What's that?" whispered Severus, even though no one was home. "It looks like parchment, not paper! And look, it's the Hogwarts seal-!" Lily peered inside.

"We shouldn't snoop," she said, but her voice lacked any confidence.

"Let's just look," Severus said. "Just for a moment. I never thought Muggles could contact Hogwarts… " His attitude toward Petunia had not changed over the years, and he had not forgiven her for spying on him and Lily as they spent time together. To him, her very presence tainted their friendship.

"It's not right," Lily said, but her curiosity got the better of her. Petunia was against all things magical; why would she have something that looked like it was from the very world she despised? A moment passed, and Lily finally said, "Quickly."

Severus, wasting no time, opened Petunia's bedroom door wider so that they could both enter. He reached for the letter, and together they silently read:

_Dear Miss Petunia Evans,_

_It is with sadness that I write this letter. I am sorry to inform you that I cannot offer you a place at Hogwarts. It seems you wish to attend like your sister, Lily, but I'm afraid it is not possible. Only those who possess magical abilities are eligible to attend Hogwarts. However, I write with great confidence when I tell you that you shall be successful in the non-magical world. You seem to have a great amount of determination and bravery that can lead you to many victories. I wish you all the best in your future._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus __Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster_

Lily looked up at Severus after she was done reading, shocked. She couldn't believe that Petunia wanted to go to Hogwarts- all she seemed to think about it was how awful and abnormal it was. But then her mother's words echoed in her mind, _"She's a bit jealous, I think"_, and she began to feel sympathy for her sister.

"I can't believe her letter actually made it there," Severus said incredulously. "There must be wizards working undercover in the postal service…" Then he laughed derisively. "She's jealous," he said. "Well, I'm glad she can't go. She's nothing but a-"

"Don't speak about my sister like that!" Lily said, interrupting him loudly. Severus looked taken aback.

"I-"

"_Don't,"_ Lily spat. "If you're going to be mean, then go home." Severus hesitated.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"You're always sorry," Lily responded. Her tone had a thin layer of ice in it. "Do you really mean it?" Once again, Severus hesitated.

"I do," he said, although it wasn't altogether true. "It won't happen again." Lily looked at him for a moment, and then carefully placed the letter upon the desk again, making sure it resembled its original position. 

"Let's go downstairs to get ice cream," she muttered. Severus wordlessly followed her out of Petunia's room and down the stairs, never more thankful that they would leave for Hogwarts in two days. Then, he reasoned within himself, he wouldn't have to worry about Petunia Evans any longer.

**A/N: Reviews always welcome! The train ride, Hogwarts & Sorting will be in the next chapter! **


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